Paso Robles couple facing sentencing in slave labor case

January 24, 2012

Federal prosecutors have asked the court to sentence a Paso Robles couple to prison for harboring Filipino nationals who were smuggled into the United States to work under sub-standard conditions at the couple’s elder care facilities.

Maximino Morales, 45, and 48-year-old Melinda Morales each pleaded guilty in May to federal charges of harboring illegal aliens who worked as “slave labor” at the couple’s elder care facilities. The couple’s sentencing was delayed for a month on Monday.

Federal prosecutors have asked U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins to sentence Maximino Morales to 21 months behind bars and his wife to 18 months and to have the couple pay restitution of at least $500,000 to the Filipino nationals who were not properly compensated for their work.

The Morales, both natives of the Philippines, operated four elder care facilities under the umbrella of Four M’s, Inc. They recruited Filipino nationals to come to the United States with promises of work as live-in caregivers.

According to their plea agreements, an associate in the Philippines helped the aliens obtain fraudulent visas that allowed them to travel to the United States.

After they arrived, “some of the aliens worked alone in 24-hour shifts…as caregivers at one of the Four M’s elder care residential facilities for less than minimum wage,” both defendants admitted in their plea agreements. “All of the aliens lived in the care facilities, and some of the aliens slept in a closet, on a sofa, and in a walled-off portion of an unheated, attached garage.”

The aliens’ pay was credited against the “debt” they purportedly owed, and the Filipino nationals were told that police or immigration authorities would be summoned if they attempted to leave.

10 Comments

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What’s the big fuss about slavery? If you’re a TRUE Christian, then you should be supporting slavery to the maximum because our Hebrew and Christian God supported it within scripture!

Furthermore, if you have slaves, don’t forget to BEAT THEM if you have to keep them in line, as the following passage so dictates: “When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property.” (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB) Whew! In other words, don’t beat them to kill, but just to maim, okay?

“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

These are but a FEW passages that were used by our forefathers in the ownership of slaves, and the selling thereof!

Can anyone answer the question of why we go directly against the biblical principles of slavery at this time in our history?!

Brother Ted …do not become distracted !
The issue is NOT ‘slavery’ per se; as you have rightly observed the canonical place such an institution has held throughout history with sanction freom the Most High ( as ALL are slaves to the edicts of God ).

The issue is proper treatment.

Look, even SLAVES have jobs ! Most have more than adequate HEALTH CARE ( a sick slave does his master no good ). Most have decent HOUSING ! All are fed a staple diet so as to assure a productive worker !

In the words of Marx:
“Do you want to be wage slaves ? Answer me that .
NO, Of course not. But what makes wage slaves ? WAGES ! “

Oh my God!!! Subsequent to reading your post, it was like Jesus was in my presence once again! I fell to the floor, trembling, and once again, my hands were held skyward as if Jesus was speaking through you!

Have you ever thought of adding addendums to our bible in a separate book? Of course, just like the bible was godly inspired, all 250 DIFFERENT versions of them, I am sure that yours would be too! Praise your godly knowledge within the topic of slavery!

I will now go and pour a short glass of Hennessy bourbon in your behalf, praise!

Ewwww…you sound like one of those nutball Christian Reconstructionists.

The Bible also tells us to execute all women who marry without an intact hymen, to execute rebellious teenagers, and to execute homosexuals. The Bible also promotes a father offering a daughter to bait attackers wishing to harm male guests, protecting his male guests by the rape of his daughter.

I’d just as soon not have such twisted, psychopathic thinking ruling our land, thank you very much.

Yes, TRUE biblical Christian doctrine does mention those seemingly abhorrid situations that you’ve shown us, but, so what? The same bible’s doctrine also permits the right to have slavery, and that is in context to what this thread is all about!

I am sorry, but when the current Republican of choice is picked, and subsequently elected as another godly president like our forever missed “W”, we will have the Christian belief system entering our government, and therefore our society as well! Praise Jesus when this eventful day comes!

A jail sentence of only months? They should get life. Slave labor in this country was supposed to have ended over a hundred years ago. They represent the greedy scum of mankind. I wonder what kind of elder abuse they inflicted on their patients. This reminds me of all the illegal immigrants working for minimum wage in jobs that should pay twice that, to attract willing U.S. citizens.